Running the edge: 8/3-9

When a door closes, somewhere a window opens. I’m a firm believer in that. Tara of Running n Reading decided to stop her weekend recap linkup (and you should still visit her totally awesome blog), but Holly from HohoRuns and Tricia at MissSippiPiddlin stepped in to fill the void with a weekly wrap linkup.

I didn’t take notes this week so here it is in a nutshell:

• Monday: Took a day off running, some YBB Bollywood, Core Essentials L1a, & dog walk
• Tuesday: Hot speedwork at the track with my running group & unfortunate positive splits
• Wednesday: Core essentials L1c, dog walk & I’m sure there was something else I can’t remember – arms, maybe? Ah, actually I think it was Pilates Core & Arms, dog walk
• Thursday: Tempo run in the neighborhood, a little slow but not bad, dog walk
• Friday: Dog walk, YBB Bollywood again because I really like it, Core Essentials L1d, dog walk, carb loading sushi dinner
• Saturday: 7 mile LSD with running group, restorative yoga
• Sunday: 2 dog walks & not much else but still racked up 11,000+ steps, Mission Impossible 6

Mileage: 15 (stayed the same as last week, actually a cut back week for the group)

Running the edge

Last year I challenged myself, joined Runners Connect, and ran the most mileage I’ve ever run. Neither of my halfs went well, but that wasn’t necessarily due to the mileage I was running.

This year I decided to take it easier and see if I could find my edge: that place where you’re pushing yourself but not pushing yourself into injury.

Right now it appears I’ve failed. I looked back through my training journal, as it’s time for a monthly recap, and while there are all sorts of reasons I might have a minor injury (because right now it’s minor), it truly came out of the blue. Seems like it always does for me. For 8 months my knee hasn’t bothered me at all and then out of the blue 3 weeks ago at the end of an easy run it tightened up.

I probably should take a week off running altogether It’s better but it’s still back and forth with feeling normal and then suddenly I can just really feel my IT band is inflamed. Often on days I don’t do anything!

So I am starting my third week of only running 3 times a week. Yes, I am ditching my easy run today in favor of a “rest” day. I plan to do my speedwork tomorrow and my tempo run Thursday, unless something changes — my knee didn’t bother me after those runs last week, no doubt because it was taped.

Oddly it bothered me after this week’s LSD, which was shorter than the previous week. Even when it bothers me it doesn’t bother me all day — it’s off & on even throughout a day.

I’m canceling tomorrow’s chiropractor appointment, though. Maybe it would be better to keep it and tackle it early, but I’d rather reserve it for next month if need be since that will be my heaviest training.

Why not take a week off?
I do not feel my knee is bothering me enough to take a whole week off running right now.

Last year, when I had hip problems in the last few weeks before my race, I was forced to take it easy for several weeks before the race. That actually led to knee pain (but no hip pain, go figure) during the race — because I get knee pain if I’m not trained enough.

So I’m trying to keep training, but take it easy at the same time: running my edge.

Hopefully it’s a decision that won’t come back to bite me.

Have you found your running edge? Or do you keep running into problems?